The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lere Olayinka, has issued a sharp rebuttal to media personality Chief Dele Momodu over comments questioning the role of Minister Nyesom Wike in Nigeria’s June 12 democratic struggle.
Momodu, during a recent television interview, had taken aim at Wike, asking, “Where was Wike during the June 12 struggle? Who knew him then? Yet today, he speaks as though he was a founding father of democracy.”
Reacting, Olayinka fired back in a strongly worded statement, describing Momodu’s remarks as a product of “political psychosis” and alleging that the former presidential aspirant was “haunted by Wike’s presence, even in his dreams.”
“The mental case of the self-appointed PDP chieftain appears to have progressed from psychology to psychosis,” Olayinka said. “Dele Momodu is now seeing Wike’s spirit everywhere, and he urgently needs deliverance and rehabilitation.”
He further mocked Momodu’s political standing, pointing out that he secured no delegate votes during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries in 2022, and questioned his continued fixation on Wike.
“Was Wike responsible for that too? Or is this endless obsession a reflection of deeper frustration?” Olayinka queried.
On the June 12 issue, Olayinka accused Momodu of leveraging the historic struggle for personal gain, claiming that the media mogul used the movement as a means to flee the country.
“He didn’t fight for democracy—he only used June 12 as an opportunity to ‘japa’ and chase personal comfort abroad,” Olayinka alleged.
He also took a swipe at Momodu’s journalistic approach, stating that genuine June 12 activists did not glamorize military generals or their families in lifestyle publications.
“True June 12 heroes didn’t photograph generals for glossy magazines or use the children of Abiola’s jailer as models. That was Dele Momodu’s brand of activism,” he said.
Concluding, Olayinka cautioned Momodu against placing himself in the pantheon of Nigeria’s pro-democracy heroes.
“When the real roll call of June 12 heroes is made, opportunists and hustlers like Dele Momodu should respectfully stay off the list,” he said.
The heated exchange underscores ongoing political tensions within the PDP and the broader opposition landscape, as public discourse around historical legacies and future alignments gains momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
